I'm Cheating on Fresh & Easy with Trader Joe's

I've been vegan for almost two months now.  I had my moment where I cheated, and I immediately regretted it.  The eggs tasted good going down, but they weren't worth the guilt, nausea, and lingering stench of egg-smell left in my kitchen.

Lately, though, I've been bored out of my mind with food.  I've started running out of ideas, and trolling the Internet for creative, easy, cheap dishes has become a pain in my big vegan behind.  My dear, dear friend, Joanna, is a big fan of Trader Joe's.  Knowing that I've usually stuck with Fresh & Easy (and sometimes Sprouts, when I don't mind going broke for food), she encouraged me to give it a shot.  So I made the trip out there today, and I wasn't disappointed.

I was like a kid in a candy store.  They had a wonderful vegan selection, and the prices were undoubtedly the lowest I've seen.  I found these meat-less items for about $2 less than they usually are.  $3 each for these packages of big, juicy, hot diggity dogs.  I was overjoyed.

I also picked up these amazing cookies.  I had tried the trail mix kind with Joanna, but I love chocolate chip oatmeal. These will probably be gone by tomorrow. 

For the last couple of months, I've also been searching for a solution to dry, troublesome skin.  I keep hearing that tea tree oil is a winner, and Joanna recommended jojoba oil as well.  I'm hopeful that this will finally solve my problems!  

I'm sooper dooper excited about this one.  Salty snack foods are my weakness.  I don't crave sweets too often; I want SALT.  I want CHIPS.  Again, Joanna introduced these to me.  They're bananas, BANANAS, but they taste like chips!  I shall unhinge my jaw and swallow the bag whole.

I'm a nut for autumn.  It might be my favorite season; and I've felt deprived of it ever since moving to Vegas.  Trader Joe's knew this; so Joe said, "Hey Meg, here's an entire display FULL of pumpkin-themed everything."  They had coffee, pancake/waffle mix, tea, cookies, and more.  I chose the delicious Country Pumpkin Spice Granola Cereal.  And then I cried tears of happiness.  

One of my last great finds was this tea tree oil soap.  I'm always on the look-out for all-natural, chemical-free products.  I was so frustrated with the lack of them in stores that I finally started making my own.  Even this has its limits in some cases though, as you might not be replenishing your body of the nutrients it needs.  This one gets an A+, however.  The ingredients were promising, namely because there were so few--as in, seven, most of which I recognized and could pronounce.  (How often does THAT happen?)

I had been putting off this first trip because Trader Joe's isn't exactly a five-minute drive from my apartment; and on weekends, I'm a major couch potato.  After trying it out, though, I'll probably be doing most of my shopping there.  Thanks, Joanna!

Vegetable Gardening and the Day I Didn't Kill My Lettuce

It worked!

It's been less than one week since I planted my first lettuce seeds, and holy canoli they sprouted.

Look how cute it is!

The lady at Star Nursery told me to water it twice a day, which I didn't think would be enough, considering it's 400 degrees out.  But it actually appeared to be a little TOO much, so I cut back a smidge.

WHO CARES?!  Look at my friggin' lettuce!

In other related, green-ish news, I'm starting my volunteer work for Vegas Roots.  If you haven't visited the website, quit being a bonehead and do it.

My First Time Planting and Lauren Conrad's Smoothie

I've been saying it for months, and I finally did.  I PLANTED a thing.  Lettuce, to be exact.  If it actually grows, I might pee myself.  Within an hour or so, this...

...turned into THIS.

I know.  You can't believe it.

I bought the goods at Star Nursery and only had to make two trips.  (I was under the impression that I could reuse soil I already had from the Stone Age, but, no.  Sorry.)

I can guarantee that once you set foot in this place, you'll be hooked.  Even if you're not into gardening.

Ok.  That's a lie.  BUT LOOK!  They have turtles and fish!

It's hard to see, but there's a little baby turtle there from when a mom and dad turtle had sweet, romantic turtle sex.  I'm in love.

How can you not like this place?  Look at all that green!!!!

Everything is fantastic on the smoothie front.  I'm trying this bad boy this week:

It's a variation of something Lauren Conrad pimps.  And you know that if a celebrity endorses it, it must be legit.

-1.5 cups almond milk

-.5 cup oatmeal

-.5 cup frozen strawberries

-1 frozen banananana

-1 tablespoon honey

It's nothing to write home about, but it's not bad either.  (Maybe I'll stick with her exact recipe next time.)  I'm hoping that the oatmeal helps fill me up a little longer so that an hour later, I won't be ready to gnaw on my own foot.  I'm also experimenting with breaded zucchini sticks, but I'll include those riveting pictures in my next post. 

If you haven't viewed my last blog on how bottled water is the devil dressed in plastic, why?  There's even a video.  Tomorrow I'll be speaking to our leasing office about why we don't have a recycling service, how we can get it, and how their parents are disappointed in them for destroying the planet.  Stay tuned!

Ciao,

Megan